NBA Wire Notes | Oden in Portland talking shoes

PORTLAND
— Greg Oden's welcome-to-Portland moment came at 10,000 feet, when the
man sitting next to him on an airplane opened his window shade.

"He opened it up and I saw a mountain with snow on it," Oden said,
referring to a view of Mount Hood. "I've never seen that, until now."

Oden, one of the most sought-after college players to enter the NBA
draft, stands a good chance of seeing more of Mount Hood if the
Portland Trail Blazers do what many expect: Select the 7-footer with
the first overall pick in the June 28 draft.

It had been less than 24 hours since the Blazers, and Oden, learned
that Portland won the draft lottery for the right to pick first; but
already, Oden found himself in Portland.

Long before the draft lottery results were announced Tuesday, Oden
had agreed to fly to Portland to spend two days meeting with Nike
representatives about a possible shoe contract.

Oden said the coincidence of his Portland visit the day after the
Blazers won the lottery hadn't struck him yet, even as people at the
airport snapped photos of him with their cellphones. One man went as
far as to shout, "Greg, you are in the right place!"

"I haven't thought about it, to be honest," Oden said, his voice
soft and his smile easy. "The lottery happened yesterday, so it's been
crazy. I'm still like, 'Wow.' "

Notes

• Chicago Bulls assistant Jim Boylan is the latest coach in the mix for the Indiana Pacers' job.

• Micheal Ray Richardson, a former NBA player whose anti-Semitic comments drew a suspension from the CBA, was hired as coach of the Oklahoma City team.

• Former NBA player Henry Charles James, 41, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to selling crack cocaine in Fort Wayne, Ind.